papha nov 2013 newsletter.indd

The Road to the Future Begins in the Past
Volume 7, Issue 11
PAPHA Newsletter
November 2013
This Newsletter is Dedicated to
Carol Woodfin (1923-2013)
Carol Woodfin made her first visit to
Port Aransas with her husband, Howel,
over half a century ago. They bought
land in the dunes at what
now is Mile Marker 10 in
November 1955, when
the populated part of Port
Aransas ended at Avenue
G. “There was nothing
out there but coyotes,
snakes, gophers and armadillos,” she said. The
house they built on the
beach became Carol’s
full-time residence in
1988, and she lived there
until passing away at her
home in the dunes on Oct
26, 2013.
Carol loved Port
Aransas, saying “God made two places
for me on this whole planet: The Grand
Canyon in Arizona and Port Aransas,
looking out on the Gulf of Mexico”.
“These are two places more dear to me
than anyplace else.”
She proved this love for the town
by serving it in many capacities; she
was a member of the Port Aransas City
Council, served as chair of Keep Port
Aransas Beautiful, and was an early and
Inside this Issue:
Director's Report............................. Page 2
Boat building 101, Part 3............ Page 3, 4
Gift Shop ......................................... Page 4
Rowboat race photos....................... Page 4
Kids cast photo................................ Page 4
Old News ......................................... Page 5
generous supporter of the Port Aransas
Preservation and Historical Society.
In the latter capacity, she started an
endowment fund for
PAPHA from money
she had saved in a taxsheltered annuity during
her tenure in the 1970s
as a professor at Texas
State Technical Institute, now Texas State
Technical College, in
Waco. The account had
accumulated $25,000 by
2010, and she wanted
to do something worthwhile with it. Preserving
Port A history was her
choice. She had hopes
that her donation would be the start
of something bigger, that other folks
would make donations, too, and they
have. The endowment has now grown
to $75,000.
We are grateful to Carol, and the people she inspired, for having the vision
to make the preservation and dissemination of our island’s history available
to everyone.
There will be a memorial service for
Carol in Port Aransas next spring. In
lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Port Aransas Preservation
and Historical Association, P.O. Box
677, Port Aransas, TX 78373, make a
donation online by CLICKING HERE
and indicating the gift is in memory of
Carol Woodfin.
The museum is offering a course
in beginning woodcarving this fall.
Classes are from 6:30-9:00 p.m. on
three consecutive Tuesdays:
Nov 19, Nov
26, & Dec 3, at
the Farley Boat
Works located
at 716 W Ave C.
No experience
is necessary and
tools and materials are furnished,
but you may bring your own tools. Topics to be covered include safety, equipment, woods, and types of carving. You
will be able to complete a project each of
the 3 nights.
This class is for
ages 15 and older, and
limited to 12 students.
Cost for the 3-night
class is $30.
Contact Jim Johnson at 712-202-8514
to register.
Woodcarving Course Set
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Annual Dinner &
Auction Fundraiser - March 1
Museum Director’s Report
It was a very busy and very, very
satisfying month.
Downtown Branch
Visitation was strong this month.
Winter visitors are beginning to arrive
and we are seeing an increase in folks
coming from nearby as well.
Gift Shop revenues were way up with
a sales total of $4890! (Due in part to
the Old Town Festival.) We sold $1870
in Farley Boat Works gear and brought
in $1089 in book sales.
The big event at the Downtown
Branch was the Old Town Festival. It
was a grand success, and the following fine folks made it happen: Nancy
Donley and Rick Pratt: Co-Chairs;
Mary Novak: Parade; Kandice Turricci:
Storytelling; Pat Farley: World Famous
Gumbo Lunch; Cameron Pratt: Paint
Out; Teddy Nicholson, Tim McBride
and Nick Jones: Surf Contest; Denny
Larkin: Music All Day Long; Carolyn
Curlee: Volunteer Labor Coordinator;
Rick Pratt: Rowboat Races, Kids Casting Contest and Fish Filleting Demonstration.
Visitors crowded the museum and the
Community Center all day long.
The rowboat races, new for this
year and the first event of the day, had
to be postponed due to high winds,
but we ran them on Sunday and had 5
contestants. This new event was great
fun, and we definitely will be having
more of the same. Since the race had
become more of a cruise, it was hard
to determine the winner, so we all got
medals. Awards, draped over necks like
Olympic medals, were passed out by
museum patrons Boo and Meta Hausser
at the finish line. (You should have
been there and you would have gotten
one too.) The Farley Boat Works can
provide rowboats for loan to interested
folks, by the way.
The Parade was fine, despite the threat
of bad weather, and started right on time,
ending at the Community Center just in
time to line up for: Pat Farley’s World
Famous island gumbo. Nearly 300
bowls were served before we scraped
Page 2
the bottom of the very, very big kettle.
Full of gumbo and warmed by all the
laughter and fun of the parade, folks
next sat down to listen to the storytellers
share their memories of the way it was
on our island back when. A big change
this year was adding in folks who were
never full-time residents, but spent all
their summers here while growing up.
The entire proceeding was video recorded and will be available in our archives for future viewing.
Outside the kids casting contest attracted a fine group of future fisher
folks, and most ended up hitting the
bull’s eye. We got some great pictures
of these little ones in action.
The Paint Out now took center stage
as artists from around the state gathered
to paint our lovely old town. Now in its
6th year, this event dovetails in nicely
with the annual Art About sponsored by
the Port Aransas Art Center. The Paint
Out draws lots of visitors and folk love
watching the artists as they work.
The big final event was the “quick
draw contest” in which artists had to
complete a painting in two hours. The
finished products were entered in the
People’s Choice and Artists Choice
competitions with the winners taking
home $200 prizes. The Peoples Choice
winner, Jimmy Longacre from Dripping
Springs, Texas, donated his painting to
the Museum!
Winner of the coveted Artists Choice
award was Janelle Cox from Lago Vista, Texas. Every painting entered was of
prize winning quality.
The Old Town Expression Session
surfing contest filled again this year and
the weather cooperated for a great day
on the beach. This year, the contest was
run and officiated by the younger generation of surfers, led by Teddy Nicholson, Tim McBride and Nick Jones.
Sadly, the Fish Filleting Demonstration had to be cancelled because no one
went fishing due to the winds.
And another fine Old Town Festival
was added to our history, thanks to dedicated volunteers including the Junior
Boatmen and Marlins in Action.
PAPHA Newsletter
Farley Boat Works
Boats number 20 and 21 are being
built at Farley Boat Works and Boat
#21 is just about to be rolled out to
fanfare. Mike McClelland is the proud
new owner of this 16’ x 4’ Farley boat.
Mike is a long-time hobby woodworker, but this was his first boat. I hope it
is not his last, because he definitely has
the talent. His skiff is first rate, a thing
of beauty and function.
Boat Works Manager Darrell Lynn
has just about finished #22, a “Tango”
Skiff. This is a new design for the Farley
crew. The tango is a stitch and glue boat
and has some interesting and unique
design characteristics. Two other folks
have already indicated they would like
to build one too, so we may have added
a keeper to our catalog.
You can look up the design online
or, better yet, stop by the Farley Boat
Works to check it out. Darrell’s “Tango” is currently in the Paint room.
Gulf Coast Schooner
We have successfully leased the land
behind the Farley Boat Works from the
City of Port Aransas to complete the
Schooner. As soon as Sundance Services has a truck free long enough, they
will deliver the hull and set it up and we
can start the next phase of creating our
tall ship.
New Board Members
Please welcome as new board members, Greg Smith and Pete Barello. Greg
is owner of the Pioneer RV Resort, and
Pete is the History teacher at the Port
Aransas High School. They will replace
retiring members Nancy Phillips, immediate past President and now on inactive status pending her return from
hospital care, and Mark Young, who has
resigned due to work pressure as Director of the Water Board.
Thanks to our retiring members for
their hard work and welcome to the new
members.
Rick Pratt
(November 2013)
November 2013
Boat Building 103
By Joe Calvey, Sr.
Photos available for download at zenfolio.com/joecalvey
We were bone tired from helping
build stems and transoms, having spent
a full three days of my 17-year-old son
Joey’s summer vacation at Farley Boat
Works in Port Aransas. Learning to
build a wooden Farley boat at the Rick
Pratt School of Wooden Boat Building,
under the direction of Shop Master Darrell Lynn, was hot, sweaty, difficult, and
rewarding.
We had taken a break from our boat
building to spend some time with my
mother back in Fredericksburg, who was
recovering from a recent health setback.
As we told her tales of wrestling with
wood, our confidence grew with each
tidbit, until I am certain we sounded
like we had sawdust in our veins. Mom
assured us she wanted us to get back to
work on the boat so she could go fishing
with us as soon as possible.
With a full measure of hubris on my
part, and my son remaining quite humPage 3
ble, we journeyed back to Port Aransas,
leaving San Antonio at 6am on Monday morning only to find out the Farley
Boat Works is closed on Sundays and
Mondays.
The following morning I struggled
a bit getting out of bed knowing there
was another long, hot day ahead of me.
A text message from Darrell appeared
asking us where we were. It was already
7:05am, so we navigated the morning
rush hour of Port Aransas traffic, which
consisted of a ten-year-old kid driving a
golf cart past our driveway.
Darrell welcomed us back to the
shop. Over tacos and coffee, we listened to the game plan he was laying
out for us: there would be two boats being built, ours and another that would
be auctioned to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. “You are going to be working with a lady from the
Abilene area who is building the other
boat. She’s going to be a big help even
though she is green just like you guys.”
We nodded our support.
About that time the lights in the shop
started flickering, the wind kicked up,
and the palm trees outside swayed as
a force of nature walked into the boat
shop. Wendy Shack stands a little over
PAPHA Newsletter
5 feet tall and her southern Alabama
drawl is authentic. A smile rarely leaves
her face and she carries an abundance
of enthusiasm.
“Hi y’all.” Wendy said. “Let’s build
some boats!” I couldn’t help but notice
the manicured nails, but any reservations
I had about Wendy’s ability to hold her
own and work as hard as anyone else
were soon dispelled. She was not there
for show she was there for dough. She
wanted her boat to help fund a cure for
MD. Helping her would be an honor.
Darrell had us take one of the 15’8”
x 4’ lengths of plywood we had scarffed
the week before to the table saw where
he cut it in half lengthwise. We laid the
two pieces on the floor.
“Who’s mixing the epoxy?” Darrell
asked. I grabbed a plastic container and
started mixing.
(Some advice about epoxy: always
wear rubber surgical gloves from the
first moment you handle it, because
there are health concerns from it contacting your skin over time. Boat building
will get plenty of epoxy on your hands
and clothes. Combined with sawdust,
your hands will stain. Quickly washing
your hands with vinegar helps, but your
hands will stink. Wear gloves.)
At the front of the boards we placed
the stem, and to the rear the transom. The
stem started as three boards of different widths See 'BUILDING' on Page 4
November 2013
Historical Shopping
Do you know you can do all your
holiday shopping at the Port Aransas
Museum gift shop? We offer distinctive
items you won’t find anywhere else, like
the PAPHA commemorative ornament.
This beautiful glass ball, depicting Flint
Reed’s painting of the museum, is the
first in a series; each successive year
will illustrate a different historical landmark.
Plan to collect the entire series for
your children and yourself. They are
the perfect gift for friends or family and are sure to become a cherished keepsake. Made in the U.S.A.
$12 each. Call 361-749-3800 or email
paphanewsletter@gmail.com for
shipping information.
We have gifts that will reawaken
memories of your good times spent on
the island, such as the book Hard Heads
and Half Gales: Tales from Tarpon,
Texas by Jim Wiggins. Jim captured the
very essence of Port Aransas and her
inhabitants in this delightful collection
of essays, illustrated by his friend and
gifted watercolorist Ivan McDougal.
Another great book you’ll want to give
(and get for yourself) is Mercer Logs:
Pioneer times on Mustang Island, edited by John Guthrie Ford, Ph.D. This
one takes you back to the earliest days
of island living through the daily journal entries of our earliest citizens. Both
books, published by PAPHA and printed in the U.S.A., are $49.95+tax, or you
can order them for $60, which includes
shipping. CLICK HERE TO ORDER.
Then there are the gifts that are a testament to your admiration of family and
friends. Honor them with brick ($50) or
block pavers ($300) placed in the walkways around the Museum and Community Center, or give them a museum
membership starting at $25. These lasting gifts are easy to purchase online by
simply clicking on the following links.
BRICK & BLOCK PAVERS
MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP
So when it’s time to start shopping,
stop by the gift shop or send in an order. In addition to the ease of getting all
your shopping done in one nifty place,
every purchase supports our wonderful
museum!
Rowboat Races
Photos by Meta Hausser
Photo courtesy of
South Jetty newspaper
Page 4
PAPHA Newsletter
'BUILDING'
Cont. from Page 2
about three feet long, glued one on top
of the other. This was run through a
table saw to create a single board that,
when looked at from either end, somewhat resembles an arrow.
Wendy marked a two-inch strip, and
then every few inches placed another
mark for screw holes on both ends of
the side. Joey grabbed the drill and predrilled holes at the marks.
Darrell applied epoxy to the lower
side of the stem and the plywood side
where it would meet the stem. He then
grabbed the drill and some wax dipped
screws. At that moment, fellow boat
builder Ernie Jamison walked into the
shop. “Hey, Ernie, c’mere, you can
help us.” Darrell called out. Ernie knelt
down and grabbed a side. Properly attaching the sides of the boat to the stem
is critical. If you get it wrong, you only
have a few minutes to make corrections
before the epoxy hardens.
This is the most exciting point in
building a boat. The transom is stood
on end, epoxy is applied to its edges
and the sides, the parts are aligned from
the bottom up and screwed in place. A
precut spreader jig fits upright in the
middle, giving it girth, and the sides are
screwed to it. It looks like a boat!
Darrell yelled over the happy chatter that broke out among all of us. Eyebrows raised and our faces resembled
question marks. “Get the saw horses,
let’s flip it.”
Next installment The Farley Boat
Builders splash Charlie’s Dragonfly,
combine music with rowing and fried
ice cream, and manage to build boats in
between.
November 2013
OLD NEWS
County Gets Three Ferryboats, Piers In Causeway Deal
Water Line, Freight Truck Also Included in Purchase
By Mary Gene Kelly
Corpus Christi Caller Times
Monday July 2, 1951
When Nueces County bought the
Port Aransas Causeway properties,
it acquired more than a roadway from
Aransas Pass to Harbor Island.
Included in the purchase price of
$250,000 were three ferryboats, a
water line, a three-vehicle bus line,
a freight truck, two piers on Mustang
Island and several buildings.
Resident superintendent of the
whole operation is Caryl Parsons,
who directs the activities of some
40 men and women working for the
county on the causeway properties.
His average monthly budget is estimated at just under $8,000, and the
causeway monthly income during
the summer will average $15,000.
The cost of operating the Port
Aransas Causeway will be about
$1400, less than the operation of
the new Laguna Madre Causeway
mainly because storm insurance on
the Laguna Madre structure costs
$2,833 a month and storm insurance cannot be obtained on the old
Port Aransas roadway.
Improvements being made
The county began making
improvements as soon as it took
possession of the Port Aransas
Causeway in mid-June and
already has straightened, leveled
and painted railings and replaced
some bridge flooring.
Next job is asphalt topping of the
road and bridges.
Both the white paint on the railings
and the asphaltic leveling treatment
are designed to increase the safety
as well as to enhance the appearance
of the causeway, Jessee Laurence,
county engineer and manager of
Page 5
the causeway pointed out.
Jack Sanders, maintenance
supervisor keeps an eight-man
crew busy eight hours a day on the
causeway improvement program.
allow two ferries to be in constant
operation, with no waiting on the
part of one vessel while another
discharges or takes on cargo.
Busses in Fair Condition
Elmer Cole is ferry maintenance
supervisor and captain, Roman
Garza is relief man and C.A.
Johnson, C.W. Hawkins and S.W.
Smith are operators. Five deck
hands are employed on the three
boats.
Buildings acquired by the county
include the two toll and concession
houses.
The toll house at the entrance
to the causeway at Aransas Pass
is under the supervision of Mr. and
Mrs. Bob Upton. They are assisted
by Bob McCullough.
Plans are to construct small toll
houses, similar to the one on the
Laguna Madre Causeway, in the
center of the road at Aransas Pass
and Harbor Island.
The toll house on Harbor Island
is run by Mrs. Caryl Parsons with
the assistance of J.M. Mostella,
Tina Gristy, James Hart and Jimmy
Holden.
It is the county’s plan someday to
build a new causeway, south of the
present structure, on fill that comes
from channel dredgings.
Aside from the causeway itself,
the county is finding little repair
work necessary on the properties
purchased.
All three buses on the Aransas
Pass-Port Aransas line are in fair
condition. Drivers Robert King, E.L.
Hunter, A.O. Gateman and M.J.
Davidson report.
Juan Marquez, driver of the
freight truck that makes two daily
runs over the causeway, issued a
similar report.
The county’s bus system will
continue its schedule of eight runs
a day from Aransas Pass to Harbor
Island and the ferry.
24 Hour Ferry Service
The 24 hour ferry service by
the vessels Nellie B, Ruby and
Estelle will be continued through
the vacation season, Parsons
has announced. The ferry service
probably will follow past practice of
a shorter schedule next winter.
The ferries themselves are in good
mechanical condition, although the
Estelle is old and will be sold as
soon as new approaches to the
ferry route are built.
It is planned to build two
approaches, in place of the single
approach now in use, and to relocate
the Harbor Island ferry docks south
of the present landing.
The dual-landing system will
PAPHA Newsletter
Two Toll Houses
Piers Leased to Wakefield
John Barber doubles as supervisor
of the Harbor Island water system
acquired by the county and as
peace officer and are furnished,
as are those of Lorenzo Mendoza,
bridge tender on Stedman Island
between Aransas Pass and Harbor
Island. Mendoza’s job is to raise the
bascule bridge for fishing boats.
Although the county owns the
north and south piers on Island, no
employees are needed to man them.
Both are leased to Carroll Wakefield,
who operates a concession stand
on the south pier.
November 2013